UNRWA Situation Report #135 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. All information from 6 - 10 September 2024, valid as of 10 September 2024 at 22:30 (local time) [EN/AR]

Key Points

The Gaza Strip

• Ongoing strikes by Israeli Security Forces (ISF) continue, with aerial, land and maritime bombardments across the Gaza Strip, resulting in civilian casualties, displacement and the destruction of residential structures and public infrastructure.
• UNRWA Commissioner-General posted a statement on his official X account that on 10 September, the Israeli Security Forces (ISF) stopped a UN convoy on its way to northern Gaza for more than eight hours despite prior detailed coordination. The convoy had both national and international staff traveling to roll out the polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza city and northern Gaza. The convoy was stopped at gun point just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff. Heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armoured vehicles. All staff and convoy are now released and back safely in the UN base. Due to this incident, we are not able to confirm whether the polio campaign will take place on Tuesday in northern Gaza. This significant incident is the latest in a series of violations against UN staff including shootings at convoys and arrests by the Israeli Armed Forces at checkpoints despite prior notification. UN Staff must be allowed to undertake their duties in safety and be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law.
• According to OCHA humanitarian access remains severely hindered, as the denial of missions by the Israeli authorities within Gaza almost doubled in August, compared with July (105 vs. 53). In southern Gaza, despite an overall increase in planned humanitarian missions submitted to the Israeli authorities to facilitate, from 543 in July to 603 in August, the number of facilitated missions in southern Gaza dropped by 28 per cent, from 250 in July to 179 in August. In northern Gaza, the number of facilitated aid missions increased by 10 per cent, from 67 to 74. However, the number of missions denied access rose by 140 per cent, from 30 to 72. These trends have severely disrupted the delivery of life-saving assistance, including water, sanitation, and hygiene services, health care, and fuel urgently needed for the operation of health facilities.
• According to FAO Analysis satellite imagery, almost 70 per cent of cropland across the Gaza Strip has been damaged. The decline in the health and density of the crops can be observed due to the impact of activities including razing, heavy vehicle activity, bombing, shelling and other conflict related activities.
• According to UNICEF, the new school year was due to start across Gaza on 9 September, but it has not resumed as the conflict continues to impact children, teachers and schools. The first graders join 625,000 children who have already been denied an entire school year, and with the conflict still ongoing, face the high risk of a second year without education. During the war, nearly 70 per cent of UNRWA schools have been hit, some several times. Some have been flattened, many have been severely damaged. They now require reconstruction or major rehabilitation to be functional again. Before the war, UNRWA provided education to 300,000 boys and girls in the Agency’s schools.
• Humanitarian pauses across specific areas of the Gaza Strip have enabled the first round of the emergency polio vaccination campaign. Between 1 - 8 September, approximately 446,000 children were reached. The Polio vaccination campaign is being rolled out in phases, focusing on one zone at a time - starting in the middle area, shifting to the south, and finally to the northern governorates. As of 10 September, children have been reached in the middle, southern areas of the Gaza Strip and northern areas. UNRWA medical team relayed that they have reached more than 77,000 children in northern Gaza and Gaza City. The campaign is ongoing.
• According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced (some, up to 10 times or more).
• Several challenges stand in the way of collecting much needed humanitarian supplies from the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing point in southern Gaza. These include deteriorating law and order, war and insecurity, damaged infrastructure, fuel shortages and access restrictions. According to OCHA, between 1 and 31 August 2024, an average of only 69 humanitarian trucks entered the Gaza Strip per day. This is well below the pre-crisis average of 500 trucks per working day. Similarly, according to the latest INGO humanitarian access update, up to 10 INGOs continue to face delays and denials in allowing vital humanitarian supplies such as hygiene kits, dignity kits, medical supplies and devices, as well as food aid.
• As of 10 September, the total number of UNRWA team members killed since 7 October is 214.
• The latest information on supplies entering Gaza can be accessed through the below link:
  Gaza Supplies and Dispatch Tracking | UNRWA

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem update is now once a week.

• According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 2 September 2024, 652 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Separately, UNICEF confirmed that over 150 children have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during the period, 7 October 2023 to 22 July 2024.
• The large-scale ISF operation which started on 27 August in the northern West Bank, concluded early on 6 September, after nearly ten days of sustained military activity. The operation led to significant damage to civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of roads, water, electricity, and sewerage networks, and the demolition of homes. At least 39 Palestinians were recorded killed, including eight children, during the operation. Five of these fatalities occurred as the result of an ISF drone strike in Tubas on 5 September. UNRWA operations across the northern West Bank were severely affected by the operation, including the complete cessation of services in some areas.
• A female foreign activist (US national) was shot and killed during a protest which escalated into clashes with the ISF in Beita, near Nablus, on 6 September. A Palestinian was also injured by live ammunition. On 8 September, a Jordanian truck driver shot and killed three Israeli security personnel at the Allenby Bridge (al-Karama/King Hussein crossing) between Jordan and the West Bank. The Jordanian citizen was shot and killed, the border crossing was closed in both directions until further notice.
• Israeli settlers’ violence and harassment were reported across the West Bank, including armed attacks on Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank, Arab Al-Mleihat and Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja in the central West Bank, and Mount Sbeih in the northern West Bank.